A Double Portion

Last week, we saw Elijah at one of his lowest points. Fresh off the victory over Baal’s prophets on Mount Carmel, he spiraled into fear and despair. He ran from Jezebel, collapsed under a broom tree, and told God, “I have had enough... I alone am left.”

Elijah’s ego—his belief that he was the last faithful one—was wounded. And yet God didn’t rebuke him harshly. God whispered to him, nourished him, and restored him. He reminded Elijah that there were 7,000 in Israel who had not bowed to Baal, and He gave Elijah a new purpose: anoint kings, and call Elisha.

In his final week, Elijah is not acting out of ego but out of faith. The man who once ran away is now walking steadily toward heaven. And alongside him is Elisha—the quiet, faithful disciple—who has walked with him since that day God called him from behind a plow.

1. The Test of Faithfulness – and the Grace of Companionship

As Elijah journeys from Gilgal to the Jordan, he tells Elisha three times, “Stay here.”?Each time, Elisha refuses.?“As surely as the Lord lives, and as you live, I will not leave you.”

Perhaps Elijah was testing Elisha’s resolve—wanting to know if this apprentice had the perseverance for prophetic ministry. But perhaps it was more than a test. Perhaps it was also Elijah’s way of offering Elisha an easier path—a gentle release before the pain of goodbye.

But Elisha won’t leave.?And here’s where many of us can relate.

Some people in our lives walk with us all the way to the end. Even when we say, “You can go now,” they stay.?They show up, hold vigil, carry burdens. They don’t leave.?And other times, we are the ones who don’t want to let go. We say, “Let me come with you.” We sense a change coming—a loss, a transition—and we try to hold it off by staying close.

Maybe Elisha was hoping that if he just kept walking with Elijah, he might have more time. More wisdom. More life from his mentor. Maybe it wasn’t just about loyalty, but longing—“Don’t go just yet.”

But what Elisha received was far more than more time.?By walking in faith—not just with Elijah but with trust in God—he received what he never could have dreamed: a double portion of the Spirit.

He thought he was walking with Elijah.?But he was really walking with God.?And that made all the difference.

2. The Double Portion: A Bold Ask, A Father’s Gift

When Elijah asks Elisha, “What can I do for you before I am taken from you?” Elisha doesn’t hesitate.?He replies, “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit.”

That was not a request for fame or spiritual power. In ancient Israel, the "double portion" was the rightful share of the firstborn son (Deut. 21:17). It meant full inheritance, full responsibility, and full blessing. Elisha was saying, “Make me your heir. Let the Spirit that lived in you rest on me, because I want to carry the work forward.”

I confess—this part of the story touches something personal in me.?There are days when I feel like Elisha, looking at the life and legacy of my father, Bishop Nimrod Christian.?I know I am his heir in name. But sometimes I wonder if I am worthy of a double portion of his faith, his humility, his boldness.?He was pious and grounded in ways I still strive toward.

And maybe you’ve felt that, too. Looking at the saints, the mentors, the spiritual giants in your life, thinking:?"How could I ever ask to carry what they carried?"

But Elisha shows us something liberating: He asked.

He did not let his sense of inadequacy keep him from asking for more.?And neither should we.

We forget that our heavenly Father delights to give.?Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you… for your Father in heaven gives good gifts to those who ask him.”(Matthew 7:7, 11)

What if we dared to simply ask??Not for our own glory, but so that we might serve faithfully, love more deeply, and live more fully into our calling?

Elijah, the fire prophet, performed nine recorded miracles.?Elisha, who asked for the double portion, performs eleven.

Not because he was better—but because he trusted God to give what was needed.?He simply asked—and God did more than he imagined.

So ask. Ask for the Spirit. Ask for strength. Ask for healing. Ask for power to do the work set before you.?You are a child of the Most High. And your Father delights to give more than you dare to request.

3. The Tearing of the Robe: A Prophetic Death and Rebirth

When Elijah is taken up in the whirlwind, Elisha stands watching, stunned. The one he followed, learned from, clung to—his spiritual father—is gone. And in that moment of grief, Elisha tears his robe in two.